Free the Wild Dog!!/Image and Pilgrimage in CC , Crystal Cyr

Ace is one wild dog. She is so full of energy that even though my husband takes her for"bike rides," as we call it, she will still find something to get into in the house. A bike ride, for Ace, consists of sprinting next to my husband's bike for as long as she can until she is completely worn out. Ace is probably the most active dog I have ever met. One of her favorite activities is to go to the beach. Ace loves car rides. She recently discovered that she can stick her head out the window on the way to the bay. Ace enjoys digging, swimming, and chasing sea gulls when we take her to Grandview Beach. I really like to take her there so she can get a break from being cooped up in the house. It always amazes me that she is not as wild at the beach, when I let her off the leash, as she is at home. She seems to feel a sense of peace and freedom that she doesn't get from being in the fenced in backyard, or running by the bike.

I have to say the same about myself, however. I also feel more free of life's restraints and burdens when I am outside enjoying creation. I feel free of the chaos that that mix of school, my house and work tend to create. I think that being outdoors helps people to refocus on what is important in life. One of my newer philosophies is that I only have about a century (at most) on this Earth, so I may as well take the time to be at peace and enjoy God's creation while I can.